


The Winter's Tale

by HPLemonPersona (HaylenthePerson)



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cheating, F/M, Godric Gryffindor is a Git, Heir of Hogwarts Founders, Hogwarts Founders - Freeform, I Don't Even Know, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Ron Weasley Bashing, Ron Weasley is a git, THIS IS MY FIRST PUBLISHED FANFIC SO NO HATE, Time Travel, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-20
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-08 05:26:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10379511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaylenthePerson/pseuds/HPLemonPersona
Summary: Godric loves Rowena, but she's in a relationship with Salazar. So what does he do? Why, toss their newborn child, Hermione, through a portal of Salazar's own creation, of course.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Founder's Daughter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/9449366) by [Glorioux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glorioux/pseuds/Glorioux). 



> Before I get started, I'd like to make a few disclaimers. 
> 
> First, I do not own Harry Potter.
> 
> Second, this plot is largely based off of one created by Glorioux on ArchiveOfOurOwn, titled "The Founder's Daughter". Their story has not been finished yet, though it may be in the near future, and I wanted to try my hand at it with a few major changes like Hermione's parentage. I in no way am making any sort of tangible profit off of this story, aside from the emotional and intellectual stimulation, and the original plot belongs entirely to Glorioux. I am simply exploring the idea that they created, and they, like JK Rowling, own most of the intellectual material. I am not copy-pasting anything from their stories, only taking characters and a very similar plot.
> 
> No hate. If you don't like it, leave.

Hermione Jean Granger didn't want to move, didn't want to do anything; not that she could. She was trapped in her own mind. This sickness had kept her bedridden for months, and there were no signs that she would ever get better. Some days she wondered if she shouldn't just end it all.

 

It had all started when she'd caught Ron in their bed that she slept in with Lavender Brown. She'd come home early from work, hoping to surprise him with a dinner date, when she'd heard odd sounds coming from the bedroom. A quick Homenum Revelio revealed the presence of a third person, and she crept up the staircase of their flat, suspicions growing with the increasing volume of the noises. The final straw was a female voice calling out Ron's name; she flung open the door and started throwing hexes around the room, not caring who or what she hit in her fit of rage. The half-dressed woman, who she recognized as Lavender, panicked and apparated away, leaving Ron to get hit by stinging, toe-biting, and jelly-legs jinxes all at once and collapse onto the ground. Hermione immediately felt bad and performed the counter-jinxes, angry but still willing to give him a chance to explain himself.

 

She was sorely disappointed when he snarled at her. "You bitch! What the fuck is wrong with you?!?"

 

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?!? I caught you shagging some skank on our bed!"

 

His laugh was cold, uncaring. "You're the skank. How many times have I come only to find that you've gone to Harry's house, or Snape's? You're a frigid whore; I wouldn't need to shag someone else if you'd done your job right!"

 

His words struck her core. Who was this person? The Ron she'd married was kind, caring, putting the needs of others before his own. Not this, not some rude, misogynistic bastard. Did she even know him? Had he been like this the whole time?

 

Then, almost as if some switch had been flipped inside his brain, his whole demeanor changed. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean any of that, I was just surprised and angry, I messed up, will you ever be able to forgive me?"

 

He had come to her on his knees, expression heartbreaking. She melted; everyone made mistakes, Ron was no different. Like a fool, she accepted his apology, only for him to become almost bipolar in his affections.

 

Sometimes he was the same wonderful, loving, caring, kind person she'd always known, and other times he was cold and distant, becoming harsh and angry when she tried asking him what was wrong. They grew further and further apart, until one day she came home to find him cheating on her yet again with Lavender. They had another falling out; this time her heart was too shattered to repair. She kicked him out of her flat, taking comfort in her adorable little girl. The next morning, she discovered that 75,000 galleons of her near 100,000 Gringotts balance had disappeared, transferred to the Weasley vaults. Two hours later a divorce was filed, leaving her to scramble for a lawyer with a budget of less than 20,000 galleons or about 100,000 pounds, which was a lot until you considered that Ron had more than three times that amount. The following trial was purposefully drawn out, leaving her with only 2,008 galleons and 15 knuts to her name. She was forced to sell the flat and get a tiny two-bedroom apartment, leaving her with only just enough money to survive while supporting a toddler.

 

Two months later she discovered she was pregnant with a second child, throwing yet another wrench into her life. Ron had even been able to get out of paying child support, so she had to rely on the incomes from advancements she'd patented, having no time to work with a child to watch over, and now a second one to worry about. Harry came over sometimes, but wasn't able to help her much between his job as head auror and his two children, with a third one on the way. He'd offered to help her financially, but she flat-out refused, not wanting him to burden him with her own problems.

 

Six months later she had a baby boy, whom she named Hugo. Things were looking up for her; she had accumulated enough money to hire a sitter so she could get back to work and a proper income. But her achievement failed to last, as she soon fell prey to a new debilitating illness that she had volunteered to try and help cure. She had no friends now apart from Harry, and Luna who was out of the country, and she was all but forgotten by the wizarding world as a whole. Her children were left in the care of their godfather, Harry, and his wife Ginny, as she hovered between life and death, her condition neither worsening or getting better. Hermione Granger was helpless and alone with no way to get back on her feet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, review or I might have to add a few tags. *grins evilly*


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look back as to what happened in the time of the Founders.

A lovely chestnut-haired witch, wearing a dress of blue and bronze, a silver circlet gracing her forehead just above silvery-brown eyes, clung to a man who could only be called her lover. She kept her head pressed against his chest, not wanting him to go, not wanting him to don his mask again and pretend everything was all right. "What are we going to do, Zar? How are we supposed to keep hiding from the others?"

 

Her ruggedly handsome suitor ran his fingers through her hair, his touch full of love and concern, startlingly green eyes laden with sorrow. "I am willing to flee, if we must. Anything to keep you and our child safe."

 

"And abandon our school?" Rowena Ravenclaw was anything but an idiot. She hadn't bled for two cycles now, a sure sign of pregnancy at her age of 37. Her courting of Salazar Slytherin had remained secret for many reasons; the most prominent of which was Godric, who was obviously attracted to her and was Zar's best friend. There was no doubt that if and when he found out, he would feel betrayed and most certainly angry, as he knew that Salazar knew of his intentions. Another was Helga, who was Rowena's best friend, and held a moderate dislike towards him.

 

They had few options: they could reveal their relationship, thereby destroying their friendships; they could desert the school they had worked so hard to build and start life anew elsewhere; Rowena could find a suitor and pass the baby off as his; or they could abort the pregnancy altogether. Options 1 and 4 were completely off the table, they loved their unborn child and their friendships were too valuable to them, and leaving would mean leaving behind the school they had spent ten years of their life to build. The only option was for Rowena to find someone she could have pass off the baby as his, but she would find such a situation unbearable. Unless there was another way…

 

"I could pass it off as sickness."

 

Zar lifted her chin. "Oh?"

 

"I could use a glamour to hide the bump… Yes, and everything else could simply be an illness… This could work. In fact…"

 

"…It's ingenious." Zar gazed at her softly, eyes full of wonder, before pulling her into a passionate kiss.

 

Little did they know that they had an uninvited guest eavesdropping outside Rowena's bedroom door. Godric Gryffindor seethed. How could _Salazar,_ the man trusted the most, the man he considered his _brother,_ betray him like this? How _could_ he, when he knew full well of his feelings for her?!? Already his thoughts were being twisted by jealousy, marred by his anger that near instantaneously morphed into hatred. He'd never liked snakes. He must be influencing Rowena. He was an evil serpent, worming his way into people's trust, into their _hearts_ , before shattering them into a million pieces. Yes, he had tricked her, why else would she bed a slimy snake? Why else would she bear his children? _Catch him at his own game._ The child was poisoned; conceived under amortentia, no doubt. It was an abomination, a blight on the face of the Earth. Rowena would be blinded by motherly affection to a loveless monster. Yes, the child must go. But they mustn't know, Rowena _mustn't know,_ for she was already blinded by the snake. No, he would wait until the child was born. He couldn't kill it; it was still a part of his Rowena as much as it was of that snake, instead he'd send it off somewhere where it could never be found.

 

It wasn't until a few weeks later that he discovered a perfect way to get rid of the child. Gryffindor had taken to stalking Salazar and Rowena around the castle in turns, gathering what information he could so he could use it against them later. He would never admit it, but he was acting more like Salazar than himself in those months before the pregnancy. Anyhow, It seemed that Slytherin, as he had taken to calling him in his mind, was working on something temporal and highly unnatural down in that chamber of his. It took days of peeking into his notes and observing his actions to conclude he was working on creating a sort of time rift, and was very close to his goal. Godric didn’t fully understand how it worked, but he suspected it would be the perfect tool he could use to hide the child far, far away from its parents.

 

Months later, Rowena had to take a break due to not feeling well, and it seemed worse than usual. She was sweating and her face was red, seeming to finding it difficult to walk. Of course Salazar immediately got up and followed her; Godric excused himself from Helga a few minutes later, saying he needed to work on "a few things".

 

When he reached Salazar's rooms, he slipped under his invisibility and notice-me-not charms and entered silently. Sure enough, Rowena was lying on the bed, muscles contracting and expanding as she struggled to give birth with only Salazar to assist her. Annoyingly enough, he seemed to be doing a good job of it; giving her pepper-up and pain-suppressing potions every so often, dark-chocolate hair sweeping over her face and tickling her to take her mind off the exertion, whispering kind, unintelligible words through her ears and making her smile, even if it did come out like a grimace. It wasn't fair! _He_ should be the to be helping _his_ Rowena give birth to _his_ child! Fueled by his sudden bout of jealousy, Godric raced down to the chamber, silently carved his way inside, zoomed back with the supplies he needed, and began the now-completed-but-partially-untested time travelling ritual, everything under invisibility and notice-me-not charms.

 

The hours that followed were pure agony. He could hear and see that his Rowena was in pain, and it was _all that bastard child's fault!_ His eyes were often filled with red and he had to blink several times to clear his vision and continue setting up the ritual. Everything had worked when Salazar had sent an object _back_ in time, so why should forward be any different? If it didn't work, it wasn't _he_ who would have killed the child, but _Salazar_ , for any mistakes in the array would have been made by him. He shouldn't need to be worrying about this while hearing his beloved in agony. He shouldn’t need to worry about guilt when he was only getting rid of the thing that was causing his Rowena pain.

 

After everything was set up just like in Salazar's sketches, or a few hours into the birth, Godric took a break for some dinner before coming back to spy on the couple. The childbearing was completed in the hour before midnight, and after ensuring the health of the abomination and looping a green and bronze medallion around her neck, the three promptly fell asleep. Godric slipped the child out from his Rowena's arms and laid them, still sleeping, in the center of the circle. Powering the runic array with his magic, he chanted under his breath:

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

_"Be þære rícea þá mettena, ic i ádée þé into séo tóweardnes þūsend gere!"*_

 

-o0O0o-

 

The Fates had been going about as usual, overseeing the events of the Universe, when someone invoked their power on the diminutive planet known as Earth. Intrigued, they turned their attentions towards the man known as Godric Gryffindor, who was sending a newborn through time for whatever petty reason they cared not; but the child would be important for the timeline they had planned, so they guided her through space as well as time to the doorstep of a Mr. and Mrs. Granger. Their job completed, they returned to overseeing other important matters.

 

-o0O0o-

 

Daniel and Emma Granger were awoken in the middle of the night by a startlingly loud cry coming from their doorstep. They rushed to the door, opening it cautiously, and were amazed to find a baby girl, swaddled in woolen blankets, lying there. Emma swooped over her and picked her up, crooning over her distraught form. Stepping inside, she and her husband quickly agreed to keep her, as they had been trying themselves for a child for months now. It was like their prayers had been answered. They found a golden medallion that read "Hermione" around her chest, so that was what they named her, and they raised her like their own child.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *"By the power of the Fates, I do send thee into the future one thousand years!" I used an English->Old English translator word by word, so there will probably be some mistakes, like I couldn't find the word for of, so it's more like "By the power the Fates". The link to the translator I used is http://oldenglishtranslator.co.uk/.
> 
> Remember, review or I might have to add a few archive warnings!


	3. Chapter 3

Salazar Slytherin awoke at dawn like he always did, expecting to kiss his lover and daughter on the forehead before sneaking back to his chambers. But his daughter was gone! He searched the room frantically, in case she had somehow fallen or gotten lost under the blankets, but their darling Hermione was nowhere to be found. He shook Rowena awake, dangerously near hysterics. She started, then scrambled around to find her child that was missing from her arms. When she could not find her, she stared at her beloved, stunned into silence.  
   
Salazar could barely bring himself to speak. "She's… she's… I couldn't find her…"  
   
"She's gone." Rowena's voice was scarcely above a whisper. Her face went pale as she realized what that must mean. "Someone took her. We need to find her, _now._ "  
   
A simple point-me spell failed, spinning in circles endlessly rather than settling on a direction, meaning that she had to be behind powerful wards; but when they tried scrying, the water didn't even ripple, and scrying was impossible to guard against. It was as if their daughter had vanished off the face of the Earth. The couple's spirits fell, but they immediately turned their attentions to searching for signs of an intruder. They searched until supper, not even stopping for dinner, but found no physical signs of intrusion. The next obvious thing to look for was magical intrusion, but the others had not seen them since last night and would be getting worried, so they agreed to attend dinner and continue afterwards.  
   
Salazar became concerned when Rowena pulled him aside after the meal and told him she had some business to attend to, for what could be more urgent than finding their child? Nevertheless, he respected her privacy; perhaps she simply needed some time to process things. His worry only grew, however, when she did not speak to him the next morning, opting instead to sit in a stony silence, not letting even a drop of water past her lips. He was so bothered by her condition that he didn't even notice the conflicting emotions swirling around his surrogate brother's face. When she excused herself early and headed towards her rooms, he waited a few moments to avoid suspicion before excusing himself to the privy.   
   
He sprinted down the hall, catching up with her and laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. She shrugged him off, stoically continuing her stalk down the corridor. "Rowena, what's wrong? You've been avoiding me ever since dinner!" No response. He grasped her shoulder more firmly this time, halting her in her tracks, pivoting around to face her. "Ro, I love you. And that makes me worry about you."  
   
Her tight-lipped mouth parted to speak. "I'm-"  
   
"Don't tell me you're fine! I know how you withdraw when you're upset about something." He took his hand off her shoulder, expression and tone pleading for an honest response. "Please, tell me what's wrong." Still not receiving an answer, he begged, "you know I couldn't judge you for anything."  
   
She visibly relaxed, relenting, and pulled him into her chambers. He guided her onto the bed, sitting beside her, holding her hand in his lap. It was a moment before she was ready to answer. "Godric."  
   
"Hm? Did he find out?"  
   
"Yes, just not yesterday."   
   
Salazar's eyes creased with worry. "What did happen yesterday?"  
   
"He… he… Oh god," Rowena buried her head in his shoulder. Zar hugged her torso, crooning over her and kissing her head as she continued. "He slipped me a love potion. Not amortentia," she could feel her lover's hands tensing, "something else. It- I think it switched my feelings for you with my feelings for him. It didn't last as long as he expected it to, you're too different, but… before it wore off, he… he used the fertility spell. _Vesicula_." He held her, rubbing small circles in the small of her back while she collapsed into sobs; it was a while before she was able to speak again.  
   
"When it wore off I pretended it was still in effect; I asked him about our daughter in the way that he'd expect from someone who hated you." She shuddered. "He gloated about using your research, but didn't say anything more than that." Ro looked up at her beloved, her tear-streaked face questioning. "You wouldn't happen to know of what he could have been talking about, would you?"  
   
Salazar's face had turned whiter than the sheets they sat on. "How long has he known about us?"  
   
"I don't know, before our daughter started showing. He overheard us talking in here. Why?"  
   
"I was working on something, some temporal magic…"

Rowena's face was slowly turning to match Salazar's own coloring, for she'd realized what temporal magic could send their daughter away from them. "Not time-travel!?! Is there any way you can find her?"  
   
"I'll have to inspect the castle to see if I can find where he placed the array, and then magically analyze the remnants of the ritual to figure out when he sent her. It'll take months of studying and cross-referencing, maybe weeks if you'll help me."  
   
Rowena looked him in the eye, expression set to one of determination. "Of course I'm going to help."  
   
-o0O0o-  
   
Many months had passed. Salazar found the remnants of the ritual disillusioned with his own spell right at the foot of the very bed Hermione was birthed in. He and Rowena spent every waking moment inside Zar's Chamber besides mealtimes and the inevitable work on the castle, in which Godric constantly harassed Ro regarding their child and pointedly ignored Salazar. The Chamber became their refuge, away from Godric's pompousness and Helga's motherly disapproval. She and Rowena had grown apart ever since that night with the love potion; Helga had confessed to aiding Godric, after which the brilliant brunette had stalked out of the common room in a cold silence. Once the school was actually completed and they began to find students, the two had less and less time to focus on their research. Eventually Salazar stopped making an effort altogether, only ever making an appearance in his classes (potions, magical creature studies, astronomy, divination, and runes) and getting Vinnie, one of the five house-elves staffed at Hogwarts, to bring him his meals. When he was not working, Rowena would be. He became closed off to all but his lover, giving Godric a golden opportunity to spread rumors among the small class of about fourteen wizards in attendance.   
   
Rowena tried to limit the spread of the rumors, but was fighting a losing battle, as Salazar was never there to defend himself personally. She was forced to turn a blind eye or get dragged down with him, though she only held her tongue after Salazar himself urged her to. His name was dragged through the dirt, but his reputation wasn't important to him; not when his daughter was lost in time.  
   
When Rowena gave birth to Helena, she was unable to love her fully with the loss of her firstborn, and they barely interacted intimately. Baby Helena was taken under Helga's wing and doted on by Godric. She cried when handed to her mother and they quickly became estranged from each other, leading to Rowena becoming lost in her work, whether that was teaching, caring for the students, or searching for her lost child.   
   
They were so very close to having it figured out.  
   
Salazar was painting the final runes on the floor of the antechamber they'd claimed for their research, while Rowena double- and triple-checked their arithmancy. After determining the direction and distance they'd need to travel, they'd spent the months trying to replicate the ritual Godric had performed. They had already succeeded sending an apple into the future a few minutes, ensuring it would work on nonliving things, as distance through time had proved to make no difference in the ritual apart from the intonation. That in itself had taken the most of their time; though they knew it was likely that Godric used some variation of what was in Salazar's notes, they had to ensure they came up with one that worked just as well, if not better. The chances of using the same Godric had were close to nill.  
   
Despite the long, hard road it had taken for them to get there, they were finally ready for the final test: they were to send a single sparrow into the future. This was a momentous night indeed. If they succeeded, they would have no second thoughts before sending themselves through. They had worked tirelessly for the past week, relying on the two house-elves in employment for meals and cancelling their classes.  
   
Finally, Salazar stood and brushed off his robes, far from the runic circle lest it be disturbed, and placed the spacious birdcage in the center. Rowena looked up from their notes, worry clearly written in her expression, though she seemed satisfied that they had been thorough and accurate in their work. She bit her bottom lip as a wordless message passed between the two. _This is it._   
   
Salazar, after sending one last glance towards his lover, touched his ring fingers to the charging runes and fed them his magic, waiting for the entire circle to glow gold. He removed his fingers, took a deep breath, and then, without letting a smidge of apprehension waver his voice, intoned, "Quas, sis, probavi materialis intro hoc circlus subire minutalis duo olim."¹ The bird faded away, and they sat in silence, not daring to draw a single breath.  
   
Finally, at the two minute mark, a golden shimmer appeared in the center, like glitter had been tossed up out of nowhere. The dust solidified into the shape of the cage, glowing too brightly to see inside. 40 seconds later, the glow disappeared… and in the cage was the understandably confused sparrow, chirping and hopping about its perch. Rowena sagged with relief, and Salazar beamed. "We did it! We can go through!"  
   
Rowena opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by a loud bang, immediately followed by the crumbling sound of rubble. Salazar's triumphant smile turned to worry and determination. "Prepare the circle again; we can escape through it if need be. I'll go see what's going on." His consort nodded and immediately moved to relocate the cage and charge the circle.   
   
Salazar crept out of the antechamber, keeping his footsteps light. Far up the main chamber, near the entrance, a hole had been blown in the ceiling, jagged chunks of rock littering the floor. A dust-covered Godric leapt down, landing in a crouch, and strode proudly towards his once-surrogate brother, a look of disgust crossing his face at his unkept, overworked state. "Well, if it isn't Slytherin," he sneered. "What's got you locking Rowena down here this time, eh?"  
   
Salazar raised his brow. "She's hardly 'locked down here'. Actually, I seem to recall she's been hiding from you. What idiocy drove you to blast through my ceiling?"  
   
He blustered, face turning red from anger. "She's MINE! She wouldn't hide from me! You're keeping her prisoner!"  
Salazar snorted.  
   
"She has every reason to hide from you. Let's see," he said, counting off his fingers, "you slipped her a potion, raped her, forced a pregnancy, and then constantly pestered her, trying to use that child to force her to be with you. Oh, and you shipped her firstborn through time." He looked at Godric as if he was some sort of bright yellow flobberworm with wings. "Yet she doesn't have any reason to hide from you? You've done enough that even killing you in revenge would be justified."  
   
Gryffindor's face had morphed into a dark purple and he brandished his rowan wand, too angry to form a complete sentence. "You… she… stole her… bastard… KILL YOU!" He roared.  
   
Salazar nearly laughed. Surely the fool had to be joking. He neatly sidestepped a _bombarda_ and lazily threw up a shield, letting various hexes and curses bounce off until his opponent tired, his face fading back to its original tan. Godric had doubled over to try and catch his breath, and Zar shot off a full body-bind before ducking back into the antechamber, though he knew the idiot would soon be free with the nonverbal counter-spell. Godric would never be able to land even a single hex on him or Rowena, but he didn't want the circle or anything else to be damaged, and as it seemed they were no longer welcome here, they might as well leave.  
   
Rowena was standing anxiously by the circle, drilling the words of the intonation into her mind. Both she and Salazar already knew them by heart, but she'd needed something to distract from the 'duel' outside. She looked up at a tap on her shoulder and, receiving the message through only a glance, stepped into the circle with him. She took a deep shuddering breath and chanted, "Quas, sis, probavi materialis intro hoc circlus subire centum anni olim."  
   
-o0O0o-  
   
Godric Gryffindor sprang up from the ground and sprinted to the archway Slytherin had ducked through. That- that snake! How dare he decide what was best for Rowena? How dare he say he'd hurt her! He'd only helped her! He swung ungraciously trough the arch, only to see _his_ Rowena fade away with that _bastard_ , that _slime_ , resting his hand on her shoulder. He roared and tried to grab them, but they were already gone. The circle that had been glowing gold not seconds ago had faded to a dull black. He collapsed on his knees, the enormity of what he'd done crashing over him. Rowena couldn't be gone. Not with that Slytherin. Thinking quickly, he decided she wouldn't be gone. Rushing to her private rooms, he pulled a long brown hair from her pillow, a smile creeping onto his face. Yes. Yes, that would work. He just needed to brew the modified potion...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ¹"Fates, if you wish, let material within this circle go of minutes two in the future."   
> ²"Fates, if you wish, let material within this circle go one hundred year in the future."  
> I used http://www.latin-dictionary.net/search/latin/ for my crude Latin translations.

**Author's Note:**

> Review, or I might have to add "Major Character Death" to the list of Archive warnings. Don't worry too much though, I know that this is my first fic and probably won't get much attention. I'm not EVIL.


End file.
